Moving On
by mp6nov
Summary: AU. No mystical things. Buffy's husband is murdered and PI Liam "Angel" Connor tries to solve it.
1. Prologue

Moving On  
  
Summary: Buffy's husband is murdered. She hires Liam Connor to solve the mystery. But he ends up stealing her heart.  
  
"." - means dialogue.  
  
*.* - means thoughts.  
  
Prologue  
  
"Buffy Summers, will you marry me?"  
  
"Yes! Yes I'll marry you, Riley Finn!"  
  
  
  
5 years later  
  
  
  
Twenty-eight-year-old Buffy Finn was so busy with her job as manager at her mother's museum, that she had no time to call and chat with her husband. Therefore she had no idea that he was neither at his job at Wolfram and Hart nor at home.  
  
  
  
"Mr. Finn, we really need you back. You have a natural talent for undercover work and investigation. Please consider taking your former job back."  
  
"Ms. Walsh-" Riley began.  
  
"You may still call me Maggie," his former superior interrupted. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
"Fine. Maggie, I have no real wish to return to the FBI. I left this job so I could be with Buffy. You know I couldn't have told her about the secret operations I went on, and I didn't want to lie to her, so I just decided to leave. My answer is no."  
  
"Well, Riley. Please just stay here for a while and think about it some more. I'll get you some food and a drink. What would you like? Water, soda, milk?"  
  
"Water would be great."  
  
"Coming right up." Maggie Walsh left the room and walked slowly to the kitchen. She really missed having her 'son' around. Of course, he wasn't really her son but she had always considered him to be hers. And then that bitch, Buffy Summers had taken him away; from her, from the job, from everything she had planned for him  
  
*I really hate that girl,* Maggie thought to herself. *If I could, I would tear Riley away from her and make him mine again. Then he would be the perfect little soldier and he would always be here. Wait a minute, I can make him decide to give her up and return to the FBI.*  
  
  
  
2 hours later  
  
  
  
"Well, Riley. I'm sure you've reached your decision by now. And what is it?"  
  
*It better be yes. I didn't spend the past 3 years working on those drugs to control your mind for nothing. They better work. Or else I'll just have to convince you the old-fashioned way. With force and violence.*  
  
"My answer is."  
  
*Say no. Say no. You love Buffy. You want to stay with her forever.*  
  
"My answer is yes. I'll come back to the FBI. But how can I convince Buffy to let me leave?"  
  
"Don't worry, Riley. I have the perfect idea."  
  
  
  
Buffy Finn was utterly exhausted when she finally closed the museum, even though it was only 7:00. she was glad that it was Friday, not Tuesday or Thursday. It was bad enough that she had to walk home because Riley had the car. She really didn't think that she would have been able to stand teaching kickboxing tonight. She was lucky that she didn't have to. However, even though she had no energy, Buffy still screamed when she got home and saw. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Riley Finn arrived home from the secret FBI headquarters in Sunnydale around 5 in the evening. He collapsed on the couch, thinking over everything that had happened that afternoon. He was mentally exhausted, but he couldn't help wondering why he had agreed to go back to the FBI. It was almost as if his mind was being controlled. However now, he was more worried about how he would tell Buffy that he was leaving. He didn't want to hurt her, but he figured that there was no way to leave without her heart being broken, again.  
  
He still remembered the day she had agreed to go out with him. She had done it only after he promised to give her a good warning before he broke up with her. It was an absurd idea, but he had been too much in love to disagree. She had explained about how her love had been used and abused by an asshole named Parker Abram. He had slept with precious Buffy and then acted like it was no big deal. Buffy had been devastated and had promised herself to never date again. But then Riley had broken down her wall.  
  
About half an hour later, after the musings about Buffy's past, riley walked to the kitchen to get a glass of wine. He knew that he was incredibly tense and he didn't want Buffy to notice. He wanted her to think that he sincerely meant it when he said he wanted a separation and time to think. Also, he just felt like a glass of alcohol. He sat at the kitchen table drinking and thinking, until he heard a noise in the front hall around 6:15.  
  
*Hmm. I guess Buffy's home early. She usually works until 7, but I guess not tonight. Well, I better go meet her. No time like the present for a good argument.* as he was thinking this, Riley walked slowly to the living room. He noticed that Buffy hadn't hung her jacket up, but still casually entered the room. He was shocked by the figure he saw sitting in the chair.  
  
"Hello, Riley." The woman sitting in his chair was calm and collected.  
  
"You!" he gasped. "What are you doing in my house?" The woman said nothing, merely smiled and waved, but not to him. A few seconds later, Riley Finn was hit over the head with a very blunt object. He crumpled to the floor.  
  
"How could you do this to me? I thought you needed me."  
  
"Oh, shut up!"  
  
Riley's head spun ash he gazed at Maggie Walsh. Her evil grin was the last thing he saw before the world dissolved into blackness. 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Buffy screamed when she saw Riley's body. But after that first scream of shock, she pulled herself together and called the police. After that she called her adoptive father, Rupert Giles, and her birth mother, Joyce Summers. They in turn called Buffy's closest friends: Xander Harris, Cordelia Chase-Harris, and Faith Wilkins.  
  
When Buffy's family and friends showed up, the police were already there. The paramedics were taking the body away and Buffy was talking to a kind- looking red-headed woman. She was also glancing nervously around as if she expected the killer to jump out and kill her too. She stopped midsentence when she saw her loved ones. Rushing over to them, Buffy was enveloped into her mother's comforting arms.  
  
*I wish I could stay here forever. I love being slightly crushed by someone who loves me. But, damn it, I have to go answer questions. Can't they see that I'm shocked and hurt by what happened? Can't they leave me alone?*  
  
As if in answer to her unasked questions, the police officer, whose name was Willow, calmly explained that they needed to ask questions while the memories were fresh. They could wait until tomorrow, but if Buffy wanted to have a better chance at getting justice, she should answer the questions now. Sighing, Buffy slowly walked back to the woman and began answering.  
  
  
  
Finally, around 11, the police began to leave. The last one to go was Willow Rosenburg, who felt a strong kinship with Buffy, almost as if they had been best friends in another life. Buffy felt it as well, and she knew that the two would have to get together to talk and get to know each other. But for now, she just felt like being with the people who knew and loved her, minus Riley. That thought brought tears to her eyes, and seeing this, Xander spoke up.  
  
"Maybe we should all stay here tonight. You know, so you don't have to be alone." Buffy smiled at her best male friend. She had known Xander since they were in diapers together. In fact, he had even had a little crush on her, but that had been cured by Cordelia. She realized that he was waiting for a response, looking at her with a concerned look on his face and unconsciously draping his arm over Cordelia's shoulders in a protective manner.  
  
"No thanks, Xand. I think I'll just go over to Mom's and Giles'. 'Cuz you are right: I don't want to be alone."  
  
"Wow! I'm right! Did you hear that Cordy? Maybe I'm not as dumb and you say I am."  
  
"Oh ha ha ha, Mr. Smarty Pants," his loving wife retorted. "But you weren't arguing your point against anyone, so the situation is totally different."  
  
Everyone had to smile at the playful banter between the two. Despite the mean words, everyone knew the couple was happily in love. As Buffy walked Police Officer Rosenburg out of the house, she apologized and assured her that it was just in fun.  
  
"Oh don't worry about it, Mrs. Finn. It sounds exactly like my friends Spike and Anya. Very happy together, yet there's always friendly bickering. Well, good night, ma'am."  
  
"Willow...Ms. Rosenburg, are you busy tomorrow night? Because, I have some questions; ya know, for the police, and for you. I mean I'd kind of like to become friends with you. I know this sounds weird but..." Buffy had no idea why she was asking an almost-complete stranger to come over, but she just felt drawn to Willow.  
  
"Well, tomorrow night I have a date with my boyfriend Oz, and the night after that, I have to work, but I'm free the night after that. Monday I think it is.  
  
"Sounds great. I'll see you here around 7:30?"  
  
"Count on it!"  
  
Strangely enough, Buffy could not wait for the weekend to be over so she could make a new friend. 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
"So, Willow. I have one last business question before we begin the becoming- friends part." For the last hour, Buffy had been asking about Riley's murder and how the police would solve it; Willow had been answering most of the inquiries, but she could not give away confidential info.  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"I wat to hire a private investigator. I mean I know the police are doing everything they can, but I'd feel more... secure with someone working on this 'case' and nothing else."  
  
"Understandable. A lot of people feel that way, believe me. The Sunnydale Police Department is not offended."  
  
"Ok, good. Now back to my question: is there anyone you would recommend? Someone who's very good, not too expensive, and not too...pushy about my life?"  
  
"Sure! I know the perfect guy. One of my good friends actually. But I'd recommend him as a professional too, not just a friend. His name is Liam Connor, although we call him Angel. His office is over on Oak Street and I happen to know for a fact that he is not busy right now."  
  
"Great! Thanks! Ok, now it's time for (dramatic pause)" Willow giggled when Buffy said that. "the Personal Questions Game. That's right folks, it's time to make yourself a very new friend." After that, they spent a few more hours getting to know each other. It was an unusually cool November night, and Buffy built a fire to keep them warm as they shared their past...well, everything. That is, until Willow asked a very personal question that Buffy didn't want to answer.  
  
"So, Buff, what up with your parents. I mean I noticed that they have different last names. And also, you look nothing like your dad. So, are they your real parents or what??"  
  
Buffy's facial expression completely changed. It went from good-natured and open, to closed and emotionless. Willow immediately noticed this and tried to fix the mistake she had unknowingly made.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Buffy! I mean, I should have realized that you wouldn't want to talk about it, I'm so stupid. I noticed that you avoided family questions during the investigation and I should've kept my mouth shut. Instead I barged ahead with a senseless question. It was so dumb of me. And to add the dumbness, now I'm babbling."  
  
Buffy had to smile when she heard her friend say that.  
  
"I forgive you, Will. I wasn't your fault. You really didn't know that it would upset me. it's just that I don't regularly share my past. In fact, not one of my friends except Xander knows about my family history. Don't worry about it. But I am really tired, so I think we should cease or chatting for now."  
  
"Yeah, I should probably get going."  
  
"No! Of course not! I mean, I planned on having you stay. Ya know, like a mini-sleepover. I haven't had one of those since I was like 18."  
  
"Well, ok. I was actually hoping that you'd say that." Sheepishly Willow added, "I mean I kinda brought my pajamas in my car and everything."  
  
"Great!" Buffy replied. "Go get everything, then we'll have some late-night popcorn, then it's off to dreamland."  
  
And giggling and talking, that's exactly what they did. 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
Buffy walked slowly towards the big brick building on Oak Street. "Angel Investigations" it read. Willow had explained that Angel was a nickname given to Liam by his little sister. No one knew exactly how she got "Angel" from "Liam", but it had stuck. So now, all his friends called him that, and he named his agency it in honor of his sister. Willow had explained that too. Angel's little sister had been murdered and the police had never figured it out. That was what led him to be a PI.  
  
*Come on Buffy. Why are you so nervous? You want to do this remember? You want to find out who killed Riley and put that person behind bars.* * I know, I know. But for some reason I get the chills looking at this place. No in a bad way, just...I feel like once I walk in there my life will change, and I don't know if I want that.* *But you can't escape change. Besides, your life already has changed. Riley was murdered, remember?*  
  
Buffy realized she was holding a conversation in her head, and with new resolve walked into the office. There was a young brown-haired girl sitting behind a big desk, chatting (more like flirting) with a tall, hot, black man.  
  
Buffy cleared her throat. "Ahem, I am hear to see Liam Connor. I would like to hire him."  
  
"Up the stairs. First door on your left." The young girl didn't even take her eyes off the man she was talking with.  
  
"Thank you." Buffy followed the girl's directions exactly. She cautiously knocked on the door.  
  
"Come in!" The voice coming from inside the room made Buffy tingle with anticipation for some reason. She had never met this man in her life, yet his voice gave her strength and reassurance. She walked into the spacious office, and sat down in a chair.  
  
"Well, what can I do for y--" Angel turned around and noticed how gorgeous the girl...er, woman before him was. She was everything he had ever dreamed of in a girlfriend.  
  
*Girlfriend?? Whoa there buddy. Calm down. She's going to be a client remember? Probably wants you to solve the kidnapping of her boyfriend or something.*  
  
"Mr. Connor?" When the man nodded, Buffy continued. "I am here to employ your services. Um, that didn't come out right." She gave him a tiny smile, embarrassed by the way the words had come out. "What I mean is, I would like to hire you to solve a murder case for me. My husband was killed just last Friday, and despite the fact that the police are doing everything they can, I would just feel more comfortable with a special person on the case." Again Buffy realized that she hadn't said exactly what she meant, but this time she didn't care. She was too worried with whether or not he would accept her case.  
  
"Sure! I'm not busy with anything else right now. Let me get a pad and a pen, then I'll ask you a few questions. Perhaps later tonight we can meet over dinner and discuss the case some more." Buffy gave him a strange look but didn't reply. Angel looked around for something to write on and with, then settled himself comfortably in his overstuffed leather chair.  
  
*Speaking of leather, he looks pretty damn sexy in those leather pants. Wait a second, down girl. Remember Riley. Your husband. Who was killed. There that's better.* Nevertheless, Buffy's heart sped up as she thought about having dinner with this yummy man in front of her.  
  
"Now. Who exactly was murdered. I know you said he was your husband, but I need him name. Actually come to mention it, I need your name too. And your address and phone number. You know, in case something comes up and I need to reach you." Right. Well actually that was standard procedure, it just felt more...real with this girl.  
  
"Okay, Mrs. Finn."  
  
"Please, call me Buffy, Mr. Connor."  
  
"Very well. And you may call me Angel. Now Buffy? What exactly happened last Friday?"  
  
For the next hour and a half, Buffy proceeded to tell Angel all about Riley and his murder. Or at least, everything she knew about him. Then she realized she still had to get to the art gallery/museum and she told Angel so. They agreed to meet the next day, in the afternoon, and then for dinner.  
  
As Buffy left Angel Investigations, she realized that she couldn't wait for tomorrow night to come. She was excited about dinner. She didn't remember being this excited for a long time.  
  
*Not since my first date ever with Riley. But even then I don't think I was this excited. Then I was attracted to him. Now I feel like...I think I'm in love. Wow! This is incredibly twisted. Love at first sight while this man is trying to solve the murder of another man I love. But maybe...maybe I loved Riley, but I wasn't in love with him. Hmmm. Now there's something I'm going to be pondering for the rest of the day, and tomorrow too.*  
  
Either way, no matter what she was thinking. Buffy's body couldn't help but tingle with the anticipation of having dinner with Angel. 


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: I'm really sorry about making everyone wait so long to read more. It's just that I started a new story a while ago, and also school's back (ugh!) so it's hard to find time to write.  
  
  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Angel Connor was pacing his office. He couldn't believe that he'd just asked his client to dinner. Yeah, so she was absolutely gorgeous and he felt strongly attached to her, but still...a date with a client. It had never happened before. The pacing and deep thinking lasted for about an hour, though it seemed like much less for Angel. Soon, he decided to take his lunch break and went downstairs. He saw Fred and Gunn flirting like crazy, and he saw an emotionally distraught Cordelia sitting at the desk. [A/N: Cordelia is part of Buffy's gang, but she still works for Angel. She doesn't know Buffy has hired Angel.]  
  
"Cordy, what's wrong?" he asked gently so as not to startle or upset her more.  
  
"Oh, it's nothing really. It's just that one of my really good friends is having a really hard time, and she's kind of shutting us out. It just hurts a bit, that's all. And my husband and I had a huge fight this morning about whether or not we should leave her alone. It's just trying."  
  
And with that, Cordelia shook her head, and went back to doing her job. Angel stood there watching for awhile to make sure that his friend and coworker was okay. Suddenly she looked up as if remembering something and told Angel all about this party she was having to get some of her friends all together. Angel said he would definitely come.  
  
  
  
Buffy walked slowly to the gallery, thinking the whole way. She wondered about these new feelings for a guy she just met. She was still pondering the whole idea of whether or not she was in love with Riley. *I mean obviously I loved him, because I would never marry anyone I didn't love. But what if it was more of a brotherly love...ewww, incest. No I did love him, but maybe just not that deep-down soul-touching love-of-my-life type of love. Oh I don't know! It's all so confusing.* By this time, Buffy had reached the gallery. She slowly opened the door and was surprised to find...  
  
  
  
Willow Rosenburg spent half of the day talking to her friends about the big party they were planning. It was a huge get-together between Will's and Buffy's friends so everyone could meet everyone else. Of course, as soon as she had heard about it, Cordelia Chase-Harris had wanted to be majorly involved in the planning. So she and Willow were becoming pretty close organizing it and everything. Cordy had already invited the entire office where she worked, and Willow had invited quite a few of her friends. It was going to be a great night of fun.  
  
She had just finished calling her boyfriend Oz just to hear his voice, when her pager went off. Willow rushed to the police station as soon as she could. There had been a call from an art museum about a murder attempt. The name of the place was The Dawn of Great Art. It sounded strangely familiar to Willow's ears. She wondered the whole way there where she had heard it before. When she arrived, she saw Buffy standing outside and immediately realized how stupid she had been. It had been the name of her newest friends family art gallery. 


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
When Buffy had walked into the gallery, she had been almost killed. After opening the door, she had turned around to find a man dressed in green from head to foot carrying a gun and a knife. He had shot at her several times, then thrown the knife at her heart, all before disappearing through the open window. Miraculously, Buffy had avoided all but 2 bullets. Despite the fact that she was now bleeding and had two pieces of metal in her left arm, she looked around before calling the police. That was how she had discovered the note on her desk. It read: IF YOU DON'T STAY OUT OF THE MURDER OF YOUR HUSBAND, YOU WILL SOON JOIN HIM IN HELL. CALL OFF THE POLICE AND THE PI. Even though Buffy was very frightened, this note only stiffened her resolve to find the murder and bring him to justice.  
  
Willow arrived on the scene and immediately went to comfort her friend. She asked some questions as gently as possible and led Buffy over to the ambulance that had arrived. Even thought she wasn't hurt too badly, the paramedics still insisted on taking her to the hospital. She needed to have the bullets removed and she needed to be checked over just to be sure she wasn't injured any more than just being shot. After calling some of Buffy's friends, Willow went into the gallery to investigate the crime scene.  
  
"Oh my God, Xander! Is she okay? Oh thank goodness for that. Of course, I'll be right there. No I'm sure he won't mind once I explain the circumstances. Oh and Xand, I'm really sorry about the fight this morning sweetie. I know, I know, you've already forgiven me, but I just wanted you to know. And I love you. Drive carefully now, this thing with Buffy just makes me realize how important life is."  
  
Angel wasn't really listening to Cordelia's phone call, but he immediately became aware of what she was saying when the name Buffy was mentioned. Cordy approached him and briefly explained that a friend had been shot and was in the hospital. Angel not only told her she could be excused the see her friend, he closed the office and went along. The whole way there, his mind was filled with terribly worried thoughts.  
  
*What if she's dying? Oh God! No Cordelia didn't say her friend was dying, just shot and in the hospital. Oh think, Angel, think. What did she say? And how are you ever going to explain this to everyone without giving away your newly discovered feelings for her.* Angel had spent the past few hours since Buffy had left and since Cordelia had been called thinking about his new client.  
  
He had discovered that he did like her, and was shocked by the notion that it could even be love at first sight. He had never really thought that things like that happened in the real world, but obviously, they did. Here he was, living proof of that fact. He just didn't know if he'd be able to hide it in working for and with her. Here he was, freaking out over a simple gunshot wound. Imagine how it would be if something worse happened to her. He didn't think he could even stand the idea of it.  
  
Shortly, they had arrived at the hospital. Angel had spent some time in the car thinking of an explanation for why he was so worried about this girl. He told everyone that she was his new client, and that if this had anything to do with the murder of her husband, it was his business. Most of the people there accepted his justification at face value, but Angel's childhood friend Allan Francis Doyle realized that there was more to Angel's presence than he was admitting. 


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
A/N: I am so sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time. I've been so busy doing so many things. This past year I took an AP class that kept me busy, along with some other honors classes. And now summer's here, so I can write again. Hope you enjoy the next few chapters.  
  
Buffy slowly opened her eyes. She had just had the bullets removed from her arm, and despite the pain medication, she was in pain. As they rolled her out of the operating room, she saw all of her friends gathered there, waiting anxiously for her. She looked around at all the familiar faces, and discovered several people that she had only just briefly met, including one tall, dark, handsome man whose presence made her heart jump.  
  
*Remember, Buffy, he's helping you solve Riley's murder. He's probably just here because he thinks that there is a connection between that and this new development. And he's probably right.* In fact, just as Buffy finished thinking this, Cordy came over and whispered that Angel had come to find out some more about the murder attempt.  
  
Francis Doyle's suspicions about his friend's feelings toward this new client were confirmed when he saw Angel's face light up as Buffy came out of surgery. He thought to himself that he would keep this information private, because obviously Angel wanted it that way, but he would talk to his friend about it. He knew that the last time Angel had been interested in a client was with Darla, but this seemed to be different than with her. Angel seemed to be in love with this Buffy. That would make for an interesting party on the coming weekend, a very interesting party indeed.  
  
Faith Wilkins saw the look on her best friend's face as she laid eyes on Angel. The gorgeous man standing near her had told everyone that he was a hired private investigator and that he suspected this murder attempt had had something to do with the murder of Buffy's husband. And Buffy, when she heard this, had said that she had suspected that was why he was there. But Faith had been watching Buffy both before and after this bit of news; so she saw the vague look of disappointment that came with it. She also had seen Buffy's eyes fire up at the sight of the PI.  
  
Faith knew her friend really well, so she knew that Buffy was probably having a huge war going on inside of her. Her husband had just died, and she had hired a man to try to solve that murder, and here she was, falling in love with him. Faith knew about the problems loving two people could cause you. In fact, that was the main reason she was currently single; too much heartache came with the happiness of love. And after being abandoned by her power-mad former-mayor father, the risk of heartache associated with love was just too much. So Faith could sympathize with what Buffy must have been going through. There was only one thing that made sympathy hard...  
  
Angel was so happy when Buffy was wheeled in safe and sound, except for the bandages on her left arm. She looked around at all of the people gathered at the hospital for her, so he did too. For the first time, it dawned on him that there was a small mob in the waiting room. *Wow!* he thought, *she must be loved a lot. There are so many people here, just to see if their friend is okay.*  
  
Huddled together in the room were Buffy's mom and dad, Xander, Cordelia, Faith, Willow, a girl he didn't recognize [A/N: that would be Dawn], some police officers he didn't know, Doyle, and of course, himself. Okay, so it wasn't as many people as he'd thought it was originally. And not all of them were there just to see their friend. The police were there to investigate more about the murder attempt, as he claimed to be himself. And Doyle was there only because he had been in the hospital anyway, about his ill wife, and had seen Angel and Cordelia come in. But still, that was a lot of people. As Angel looked around the room, he suddenly couldn't wait until the party that weekend.  
  
Willow was surprised to see Angel at the hospital, but the reason he gave made sense. In fact, even though she was Buffy's friend, it was the same reason she was there. This murder attempt was connected in some way to the actual murder of Riley, Buffy's husband. The note gave this away, but most of the people there had figured it out beforehand. And obviously Angel had as well. Willow sighed to herself; now she had to ask lots of pesky questions that Buffy hadn't had time to answer when the ambulance had come. *Well,* she thought, *here goes nothing.* 


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
Willow asked Buffy lots of questions. Buffy told her that she had not seen the face of her attacker, only that he was wearing army fatigues. Willow said that she figured it was to keep Buffy from recognizing him. There were many questions that Buffy couldn't answer. She showed Will the note, and the police woman took it in as evidence in Riley's murder case. Then all the questions were finished and the patient was allowed to leave the hospital.  
  
Everyone walked out of the hospital together. Willow hugged Buffy and waved good-bye to everyone else before getting in her police car and driving off. Xander kissed Cordelia, kissed Buffy on the cheek, hugged Joyce and Dawn, and ran down the street to get back to his construction site. Doyle and Angel were heading back to Cordy's car, while Cordelia herself hugged her friend tightly. Buffy saw the two men get into the red convertible and looked questioningly at its owner.  
  
"I work with them. Didn't I tell you?" Before Buffy had a chance to answer, the horn honked loudly. The brunette muttered under her breath, "Geez, you'd think since he obviously likes Buffy he wouldn't mind so much that I'm talking to her. He was so worried about an hour or so ago." Then turning around, she yelled loudly, "I'm coming, I'm coming! Have a little patience, would ya?"  
  
Buffy stood there, looking slightly confused. She wasn't sure if Cordelia had meant for her to hear the part about someone liking her and being concerned, but she had heard it. In fact, she had been about to mention the "business" dinner, assuming that the one who liked her had been Angel, but then she thought better of it. *Despite the fact that I love all of my friends, including Xander's wife, I know that if I don't want every person in the world to know about this dinner, Queen C would not be the person for me to tell. I'll talk to Faith or Dawnie about it. Thinking of...* And Buffy turned around to see her "family" standing there.  
  
"Well," she announced suddenly, "back to work."  
  
"Honey, I know it's my day off, but if you want me to go with you to the gallery, I'll be happy to." Joyce looked concerned for her eldest daughter, but also reluctant to relinquish the day with her loving husband.  
  
"It's cool, Mom," Buffy's sister Dawn suddenly said. "I was actually thinking of working there this summer anyway. I'll just start today - if it's okay with you I mean." Joyce's answer was a smile.  
  
"And I'll walk B and the little one here back to the place. You know, keep then safe. Not that they really need it, but you know." There was a short pause, before she spoke again. "And also, come to think of it, Dawnie's not so little anymore."  
  
"Thank you, Faith," Joyce said as she looked at the woman she thought of as her third daughter. "Now, I know I don't really need to say this, but - "  
  
"Be careful!" everyone said along with the worried mother. Then they all laughed. Joyce and Giles watched as the three young women walked happily down the street, making sure they were safe until they turned the corner and were out of sight. With a sigh, she turned to her husband, who had been strangely quiet throughout the entire conversation; well until the end when he had laughed along with everyone else.  
  
He saw her looking at him, and he just smiled gently at her. "I was just thinking. It's been a long time since we've had the house all to ourselves. And, after all, it is your day off." The two then walked to the car, and drove home to spend a nice day together.  
  
"So, B, what's up with that private investigator guy?" Faith inquired.  
  
"Well, I know the police are doing their best, but I felt more comfortable hiring someone to focus specifically on this one thing..." she broke off to find both her sister and her best friend staring at her like she had suddenly sprouted another head. With a sigh, she asked, "Is it that obvious?"  
  
"Only to those of us that know and love you best. Which would basically be just us." Her sister answered quickly, knowing that Buffy was slightly upset with herself for liking this guy.  
  
"I feel so guilty. I mean Riley died, what, only five days or so ago, and here I am thinking about another man. This whole day I've been thinking about my relationship with Riley and my feelings towards him. I know I love Riley, but I don't think I was in love with him." When she glanced at her closest companions, she was surprised to see them staring at her with expressions that resembled the word 'Duh!' "You guys knew that?!?" she cried, angry that they could see how she had felt when she herself had been blind to it.  
  
"Well, yeah, Buff. I mean no one ever doubted that you loved him, but Faith and I knew that you only married him because he was so persistent. If you had met someone else while still dating him, especially this Angel guy, I'm sure you would have realized that what you felt for Riley wasn't exactly shake-your-soul love. You know, going off topic, I wonder where that expression came from - 'shake-your-soul love'."  
  
Buffy just smiled at her sister, unwilling to share with her the dreams she had been having the past few nights. The ones that had involved a mysterious, dark, handsome...vampire. It was so strange, really. She didn't believe in those types of things, yet in her dreams, she wasn't surprised when the man's face had morphed into that of a demon's. In fact, it had been slightly erotic. And as she thought about it, the face could've passed for that of her newest - form of help. The dreams had been fuzzy and not full of details, but as she thought back on it, Angel's face could've easily been the one in her dreams. The "shake-your-soul" part had come later on. The dreams were really like a story. They met, fell in love, made love, and the vampire had lost his soul. Buffy shook her head and left those thoughts for later. She returned to earth again just in time to hear Faith's reply to Dawn's question.  
  
"Don't know, D. But there are a lot of expressions in the human language that don't make much sense. We just have to accept that ancient geniuses came up with them in ancient times." Though she meant most of what she said, the slight sarcastic tone of Faith's voice made her two companions laugh. She was glad that Buffy had laughed; the blonde hadn't really been happy since the death of her husband. *I guess love does the wacky.*  
  
"Well," Buffy said, "here we are. This is the Summers girls' stop."  
  
"Yeah," Faith agreed. "I guess you're off the hook for now. But I will get all the details if I have to use magic potions to get you to reveal them."  
  
"At least the official Summers girls, even though I'm technically no longer a Summers." Buffy babbled on. "Cuz we all know that Faith here is an unofficial one, which actually could be considered something to be thankful for." There was a slight lapse in the conversation as they all thought about the circumstances Buffy was talking about. Then the heavy silence passed, and Faith hugged the two women and headed towards the gym. She suddenly had energy to burn. 


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
  
As soon as Doyle, Angel, and Cordelia arrived back at the offices of Angel Investigations, the owner of the building found himself being dragged upstairs by his oldest friend. *Well, oldest as in longest time of knowing, not as in actual years.* Suddenly he was gently shoved toward a chair, and forced to face the other man.  
  
"All right," Doyle said, "spill!"  
  
"I have no idea what the hell you're talking about." Angel feigned complete innocence, though he knew very well what his friend meant.  
  
"I know you know what I'm talking about. But just to make absolutely sure, I'll clarify. That girl, your new client, Buffy Finn."  
  
"What about her?"  
  
"You like her. I know it, you know it, hell, I think even Cordy knows it. So tell me all the details. You know: why? When? How? How much? Stuff like that." Angel opened his mouth, but Doyle knew it wasn't to answer his questions. "And don't you dare give me any bullshit about how you have work to do. The only client you have right now is Buffy, and we are discussing her right now, so technically, you are working."  
  
Angel silently admitted defeat. "Fine, I'll talk." There was a tiny squeal outside, but Doyle checked and reported that nothing was there. He then signaled to his detective friend to continue. "It might be awhile, there are some things I need to think about before I know how to express them." There was a creak outside, but Doyle said it was probably the house settling. So Angel began his mini-story.  
  
"She walked into the room and I thought to myself that she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I was dumbstruck for a moment. I felt my heart speed up a bit, and my breathing got a little harder to, well, do. I shook myself out of it and listened to her talk about how her husband had been killed and she wanted me to solve it. Actually the words that came out of her mouth sounded kind of...well, sexual. She kept saying things that sounded really bad, but she meant them in a totally different way than they came out." He smiled slightly at the memory of her exact words. "Then, I asked her basic questions. Nothing too much happened there. But all of a sudden, I asked her to dinner. I tried to cover it by saying it was to ask more questions, and I think she bought it. But I didn't even know that was what I was going to say until I said it. Nothing much really happened after that until I showed her to the door. We touched, and it felt like I had touched a firecracker. These sparks just flew up and down my arm, and I could almost feel the heat radiating from our touch. Then I found out that she was in the hospital and I totally freaked out. Doyle, man, I think I'm in love with her." There was a definite thump outside the room following this response.  
  
Faith made quick work of the punching bag she had chosen to take her emotions out on. She imagined the black swinging sack had several different faces: Richard Wilkins, Mark Summers, Eric Hallind, Colin Brusche, and Shawn Nettle [A/N: all of these characters will be explained later on in the story. For now, just read their names, and accept the fact that she's angry at them]. The hitting her hands were doing kept getting more and more forceful, until suddenly, something inside her snapped. She ran out of the gym and through the streets of Sunnydale, until she reached the Finns' house. She yanked out her spare key, and raced upstairs to the spare bedroom where she sometimes stayed. Knowing that no one would be home for several hours, Faith finally allowed herself to collapse on the bed and sob her eyes out.  
  
Buffy and Dawn helped the customers wanting to buy the art displayed in the gallery, and they led tours of the permanent works displayed there, all day. Finally, around five o'clock, both were exhausted and no one was there, so they decided to close for the day. Normally The Dawn of Great Art stayed open until seven, sometimes as late as nine or ten, but it had been a rough day, and the two sisters decided to give themselves a break. They locked up and began the long trek home. Buffy still wasn't comfortable driving since the last one to touch the car had been her late husband. They started towards the house where their mother lived when they realized that Giles and Joyce probably wanted to be alone. So they switched directions and headed towards the empty Finn house.  
  
Buffy went upstairs to change into more comfortable clothes. After arriving at the gallery late that morning, she had taken off her bloodstained clothes and put on the spare shirt she kept at her office, the same shirt which now felt very restricting, and Buffy wanted to be comfortable. As she was rummaging through her closest, she heard a faint sniffle. It sounded like it was coming from the guest room.  
  
Downstairs, Dawn heard the ceiling above her creak gently as her sister searched for something more relaxing to wear. Suddenly the creaking footsteps moved. Dawn had been in the house so many times that she recognized the direction the sounds were moving in. So she headed upstairs, and though Buffy was not in direct sight, Dawn followed her into the guest room. The sight they saw when they reached the doorway was shocking.  
  
Angel glanced at Doyle to see him looking slightly amused, yet at the same time concerned. The towering PI decided to address his statement and his friend's reaction to it after he discovered what had made the noise. He swiftly got out of the chair and walked across the room to the door. He reached for the knob and pulled. On the ground of the hallway sat a shocked looking Cordelia. Right next to her was a chair. Angel realized that she had been listening the entire time, and that Doyle had known. He glared at her furiously, and she had the sense to look sorry. They stayed that way for several minutes until she finally got off the floor and he allowed her to enter the room. She sat in a more comfortable chair while both he and Doyle stood, all three thinking quietly to themselves. Finally Angel looked at Cordy with a question in his eyes, and she sighed but began to talk.  
  
"Doyle told you at the beginning of your conversation that he suspected that I knew you like Buffy. I suspected that he knew, and so I followed you both up here, with a chair." At his look, she answered, "I figured that you would take a while to explain. I wanted to be comfortable. Anyways, the noises you heard while you were talking were made by me. When Doyle came to check, he saw me and for some reason he didn't tell you that I was there. Which, by the way, I now thank you for. But that doesn't really matter. What I want to know is...are you really in love with Buffy?" 


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
  
Dawn and Buffy were completely stunned when they saw Faith lying on the guest bed, tears pouring down her cheeks, sniffling, red- and puffy-eyed. They both walked in gently and sat down on the bed. As one, they reached out to hold and hug her, to give her some human contact. After awhile, she calmed down and looked up at them.  
  
"Thank you. The mention you made earlier - about being lucky I wasn't an official Summers girl - it got me started on thinking about all the guys in my life. My dad, your dad, my boyfriends, all of it. At first I took it out on the punching bag, but then I just couldn't take all the emotions flying through me. I usually keep it all in. I don't talk about my past, and I don't like people pushing to find out." The sisters shared a quick glance; they knew how true that statement was. Faith had only shared her past once, and that was only because Buffy had shared hers first. "I came here because I wanted to be alone and I thought you guys would go to your mom's house. And I thought it would be later."  
  
"Faith, you are always welcome here, even if I'm not at home. Why do you think I gave you that spare key? And we all know that the past can be painful. Sometimes it's nice to just have a good cry. If you want, we can leave you alone to finish."  
  
"No," came the whispered reply. "Just stay here with me. I hate feeling so alone, like there's no one else who cares. You guys make me feel better." At this, the three girls curled up together, comforting each other in a way that only close friends can, as only best friends can. Each one had known pain beyond pain, and just being there with each other, not saying anything, just communicating through the bond that friends have, helped them all.  
  
[A/N: Some of you with more disgusting minds will read the above paragraph and think it's some kind of reference to lesbian sex. It's not. Each of the above girls, in this particular story, has gone through some tragic time in their life where they felt worthless or disgusting. They have talked about it before, and just lying on a bed, not doing anything, helps them feel better. They know that at any time they can talk to these people and feel loved and respected. Friends do that, and there's nothing lesbian about it. Plus, Dawn and Buffy are sisters, so anything between them would be utterly disgusting. For the rest of you, if you are confused about why each girl is in pain, that's okay. Actually that's good. Makes you more interested in reading the rest of the story, because you will find out.]  
  
Giles and Joyce lay happily intertwined in bed. They had had a relaxing day, and now felt prepared to face anything. They got up, got dressed, and called their daughters before going out to dinner. There had been no answer at either the gallery or at Buffy's house, but as sensible parents, they knew that their daughters were probably asleep. After all, it had been a most tiring day.  
  
Buffy lay on the bed with Dawn and Faith, thinking over her past and theirs, too. So much had happened to all of them, so much pain and suffering. It seemed that the whole point of life was to make them miserable. But then she thought of Angel, and realized that if that were true, she never would have met him. And, if she was completely truthful with herself, she never would have found Riley. Even if she wasn't in love with him, he had made her happy for a long time. Yawning, she relaxed and started to drift off to sleep. *It's been a really tiring day.*  
  
Several miles away, a car drove silently through the night. The headlights came upon the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign. The man inside kept driving. He passed Joyce and Giles enjoying a nice evening walk. He passed Cordelia and Xander sitting peacefully on their porch. Then the car stopped on Buffy's block. The man got out. He walked stealthily towards the Finn house. The lights were out inside. He peaked through windows and checked that no one was inside. Then, he entered through the back door. He went upstairs to Buffy's room. She wasn't there. He checked the other rooms until he saw the three sleeping girls inside the guest room. He smiled and went back to his car. The man then drove to a motel and got a room. He would continue watching her the next day. 


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12  
  
Dawn woke up suddenly when she fell off of the bed. *Wow! I haven't done that since I was little. I mean, I know I move in my sleep, but usually there is enough room on the bed for me to stay on it.* Opening her eyes, she realized why there hadn't been enough space on the bed. *Oh right. Faith was upset and Buffy and I were comforting her, and we all fell asleep. Well, they'll be hungry when they wake up. A good cry can definitely do that for you. I better go make breakfast.* Thinking these thoughts, the younger Summers went downstairs to the kitchen. She got eggs, toast, juice, cereal, and milk out and prepared to have a good breakfast ready. She went to the back door to get the paper and discovered that it was unlocked. *That's strange. I thought we locked the door last night. Oh well. We were tired and maybe we didn't.* She went back to fixing the morning meal.  
  
*Mmmm, something smells really yummy.* Buffy thought as she woke up. She opened her eyes and was slightly confused about why she was in the guest room of the house she had shared with Riley. Then she remembered her upset friend. She looked over to discover Faith still sleeping, her eyes still slightly puffy, but a look of peace on her face. Buffy got up and went to her room. Looking down as she walked, she saw mud on the carpet. She was confused about how it had gotten there, but just assumed she hadn't noticed it earlier because of all the commotion from the past few days. Getting dressed, she went downstairs to see her sister cooking breakfast.  
  
"Morning," she said to Dawn. "Glad you got up first. I don't think I would have been able to make anything edible for us to eat." Dawn chuckled along with her sister as she recalled all of Buffy's attempts at cooking. Though she had gotten better over the years since she had married Riley, she still sucked at making the first meal of the day. That usually had been Riley's job before he left for work.  
  
"As soon as Faith wakes up, if she's feeling better, you are going to tell us all about how you feel towards this private investigator guy. And since we own the gallery and Mom is working today, we don't have to be there until you are finished, no matter how long it takes."  
  
"Fine, fine, fine." Buffy consented to her sister's nagging, knowing that she had to tell someone. "I'd rather tell you guys anyway. I mean, Xander wouldn't understand, Cordy would probably tell everyone, and Willow isn't a close enough friend yet." Dawn nodded her agreement to all of those statements. She liked the red-head though, and she hoped that her sister became closer to the police woman.  
  
Willow sighed as she woke up after a long night of talking with her boyfriend, Oz. She smiled as she looked over at him, asleep next to her. They had talked about her new friend, the party coming up that weekend, and the case she was working on. It always helped her think better if she talked everything over with a sympathetic listener. And Oz was most certainly a sympathetic listener. He also sometimes came up with wild ideas that made sense. He would say something and she would check it out half- jokingly, only to discover that he was right. Last night, they had talked about Buffy, both as a friend and because that was the particular case that Willow was working on. Oz had said something about how Buffy didn't seem to know a lot about Riley's past. Then he had joked that Riley was involved in a secret government operation. Strangely enough, that sounded reasonable to Willow's ears.  
  
*So today I will get online and look up some stuff about Riley Finn. He was born in Iowa, that much Buffy knew. But she didn't know anything about why he moved to Sunnydale, or his parents or anything else about him. It will be really interesting to see the details about his life.* Willow got dressed, went down the hall to her small kitchen. She had some cereal, left a note for Oz saying she had left for work and she would see him later that evening, and then she went out to her car to drive to the police station.  
  
Angel, Cordelia, and Doyle had had a long talk to day before. Cordy had promised not to tell her friend that the detective was in love with her, or to tell anyone else, for that matter. And Doyle had also promised not to reveal his friend's feeling for the new client. Then they had continued their work for the day, and even though Angel had not learned anything new about the case, he went home on time. The next morning he woke up refreshed and strangely excited, though at first he didn't know why. Then he remembered that he was meeting Buffy again that day, and having dinner with her that night. Suddenly he couldn't' wait for the evening to come.  
  
Doyle woke up with a sense of dread for his private investigator friend. Though technically Angel had never gotten involved with a client before, there was that whole deal with Darla. He could remember the whole thing almost as clearly as if it had happened yesterday.  
  
Flashback:  
  
A pretty blonde came through the door of Angel Investigations. She asked to see Angel, and Doyle responded by asking what her case was. She said that it was private, and he shrugged and pointed to the door and Angel's office. She walked up the stairs, smiling sultrily, before knocking quietly on the door. When an invitation came from within, Darla opened the door and walked in.  
  
"Are you Liam Connor?"  
  
"Yes," came the reply. "How can I help you?"  
  
"Well, you see, my ummm, my brother has been kidnapped. The police won't help, and I am so worried." Smiling to herself, Darla was happy that she had not called the hired man her boyfriend as she had originally planned.  
  
"Sit down please. Tell me everything that you know and I will try to help you get your brother back."  
  
Darla sat, closer to his muscled body than she actually needed to, and began to recite the story she had practiced over and over. It was a bunch of bologna, but he didn't know that. She had been obsessed with this man ever since she had seen him enter a bar with some of his friends. He was a gorgeous man, and she wanted to get him in bed with her. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to come up with a way to get him to date her. So she had come up with a plan, a very good plan, to get to know him, and then to seduce him. She had hired an actor to play her boyfriend. He would pretend to be kidnapped and she would hire her obsession to get him back. *Except now he's only my brother. I need to tell him that before he gets 'found' or else I'm in trouble. It would be rather disturbing for siblings to make out.*  
  
Darla came back to earth as she heard the sexy voice of her companion ask a few more questions. She answered them as best she could, then stood up to leave. She spontaneously gave him an innocent kiss on the cheek to show her thanks. Actually, the kiss was neither spontaneous nor innocent. She had spent the last few years developing a plant potion. This particular potion was worn in lipstick and anyone she kissed while wearing it would find themselves plagued with naughty thoughts about her. She smiled as she left the building.  
  
Later that night, Angel had called. He had gotten a lead, he said, and so she rushed over to his office and they had chased the man who looked like her 'brother'. Suddenly, it started to rain. The man slowed and turned around. Darla had cried out and pretended to rush to her brother. He had apologized for leaving, saying that he hadn't been kidnapped. He had just needed to get away from his life for awhile, so he had left without telling anyone. Darla had scolded him in a sisterly fashion, then turned back to Angel. She told him that she would walk him back to his office, and pay him for his time. He told her it wasn't necessary, and that he was actually going home. She smiled to herself and accompanied him anyway. Right outside the door to his apartment building, she had shivered seductively. He had invited her in.  
  
They walked into the apartment and Angel built a fire to get warm and dry. Darla took off her clothes until she stood there in her bra and panties, both black. She had planned for this moment the entire time. He stared hungrily at her and she stared back. He walked over, but before he could do anything, she had thrown her arms around him and kissed. The lipstick kicked in and he kissed back. The next few moments flew by until both stood naked. He nodded towards his bedroom, but she just grabbed a cozy quilt and threw it down in front of the fire. She had been waiting for this ever since she had seen him. About two hours later, they lay next to each other, happily tired out. A little while after that, Doyle had called.  
  
"Angel, man, I need to talk to you. It's about this chick that you're working for."  
  
"Oh," he had replied with a slight question in his voice. "You mean the one that's lying right next to me, naked."  
  
"Angel, she is bad news. Please come into the office so I can talk to you." Angel sighed and looked at the sleeping woman beside him. He kissed her gently on her forehead so as not to wake her, got up, got dressed, left a note saying he had to go into the office for awhile, and then left. When he got there, he was shocked to find Darla's 'brother' standing there, held in place by Doyle.  
  
"Doyle? What's going on?"  
  
Doyle shoved the man. "Go ahead. Tell him what you told me." The man was silent. "Fine, I'll start. I went into a bar this evening, and I saw this man with a crowd around him. I walked over and listened to him bragging about how he had made easy money by pretending to be kidnapped. I listened some more, and then I dragged him here. Now, tell Angel all about this Darla chick and her plan."  
  
"I am a professional actor, but people hire me to do things. A couple of days ago, this blonde woman walked in and asked me to play her boyfriend. I was to pretend to be kidnapped, by staging a struggle so the neighbors could hear. Then I was to disappear for a few days. After that, I was supposed to let myself be seen and then say I needed a break from us, so I had left. The other day, Darla called and told me that I was now her brother, and that I should only wait a day before being seen. And I think you know the rest." Doyle shoved the man toward the door, and he took off.  
  
Angel sat there with his head in his hands, wondering how she could have done this to him. He was deeply hurt, and he vowed to himself and to Doyle that he would never date again. Eventually, he found out that Darla was obsessed, so he had threatened to press charges if she ever came near him again. She followed him everywhere, and he made good on his threat. She pleaded guilty but only because she was mentally ill. So she was committed to an insane asylum and never heard from again. That had shattered Angel even more than the obsession. The fact that someone would rather claim to be insane than actually love him really hurt. Doyle had understood his friend's pain.  
  
Doyle came back to the present. He had never really like Darla from the moment he had met her. This Buffy chick however, he really did like. She seemed nice, and not psycho, and not obsessed in a bad way. The only real problem was the way that she and Angel had met. If only Riley Finn had not been killed. *No,* Doyle thought, *because then even if they ever met, Angel would have absolutely no chance to be with Buffy. If only they had never gotten married, if only Angel had met Buffy before she had become seriously involved with Riley. But there's no use wondering about it now. We just need to make sure that Buffy and Angel become friends and stay that way until after the case is solved. Then, they can live happily ever after.* 


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
  
Buffy sat there anxiously, waiting for Faith to finish her breakfast so that she could talk about Angel. Not that she was anxious to talk about her new feelings, just anxious for the whole discussion to be over with. Plus, she had to meet the man in a few hours, and she didn't think she could handle it very well if she didn't have some separation of time between talking about him and seeing him. But Faith ate at her own speed enjoying the delicious taste of the food, and also the slightly nauseated expression on Buffy's face. Finally, she finished.  
  
"Finally," Buffy began. "Okay." She took a deep breath. "I'll start at the beginning. I walked into the office. I saw this amazingly handsome man. I thought a little about how yummy he looked in leather pants, but then I remembered the reason I was there. I told him all about Riley and his murder. Actually, before that I totally embarrassed myself when all these words came out wrong. But then we were talking about the murder. He asked questions, I answered. Then he asked me to dinner, to talk more about the case. I said yes. Then, the rest of the day, I just kept thinking about him. I think I'm in love with him. I think it was love at first site. I feel so guilty because Riley's dead, yet I'm so happy because when I'm with him I feel special. When he touched, only to shake hands, I felt sparkage. I don't know what to do. I'm meeting him again in a little while. And then our dinner is tonight."  
  
Her two friends thought carefully before answering. They both understood why she was feeling so conflicted, but neither knew what to say. Faith said that she had been the one with experiences closest to Buffy's, but the two guys had been alive, not one dead. Dawn had never been through anything like this. So Buffy finally decided to just play it cool. She wouldn't think too much about liking Angel, she would just relax and be concerned with finding out who murdered Riley. And who was trying to murder her.  
  
Joyce had woken up fully refreshed from her night alone with her husband. She had made breakfast, then left to get to the gallery. She was only slightly surprised to find that neither of her daughters was there yet. But she assumed that they were still asleep, giving extra rest to their exhausted bodies. So Joyce opened up and got everything prepared to open. Then people came and she was so busy for the next hour that she didn't even notice that Buffy and Dawn weren't there. Just as she was getting worried, the two girls walked in. They smiled at their mother, and then set to work. About two hours later, Buffy left to have her second meeting with Liam Connor. And, thinking about Angel, she walked happily through the streets of Sunnydale.  
  
Angel looked at the clock to see what time it was. Big mistake! The coffee he was trying to drink at the same time spilled down the front of his shirt. And his client would be coming in about five or ten minutes. The only lucky factor was that Cordelia had made the coffee. As much as everyone at the office loved Cordy, her coffee-making skills were just not that great. So the normally hot drink was only lukewarm and, therefore, did not burn Angel. Still, he swore because now he had a huge stain on the front of his black silk shirt. Doyle came in and saw what had happened, then quickly ran to the next room and grabbed the only spare men's shirt in the place: a red cotton one. As soon as Angel had put it on, Buffy walked in to begin the session of questions.  
  
She looked at the crumpled black garment on the floor, then at the red shirt, before suddenly blushing. She was actually thinking about how nice it would have been to come just a little earlier. She would have seen this gorgeous man without a shirt on. But then she quickly gave up her slightly naughty thoughts and Angel began asking questions. She answered and the time flew by quickly. Angel found himself asking personal questions that were not a part of the normal process, yet Buffy answered them anyway. She talked about her friends, her school life, her college years, and her family. But as soon as Angel asked a few questions about her parents, the blonde quickly shut her mouth.  
  
"Well," Angel said, "I think that's about enough for right now. I will see you tonight, then. About seven?" Buffy nodded. "Great! I'll pick you up. And wear semi-formal clothing. It's a pretty nice restaurant." And Angel left the room in a hurry to avoid her questions about why he had chosen such a nice place to eat. Buffy went downstairs, chatted with Cordelia awhile, then left. She returned to the gallery and worked until five. She then went home to get ready for her big date. *No, Buffy. It's not a date,* she told herself. *It's just another meeting to find out more about Riley. Even though it is at a fancy restaurant. And even though this morning most of the questions were about me.*  
  
Angel pulled up at 6:55 and beeped the horn once. Buffy walked outside in a dark red cocktail dress. She was wearing strappy red high heels and she had her hair swept into an elegant French twist. Angel had to swallow several times before he could talk properly.  
  
"Wow! You look."  
  
"Stunning! Gorgeous! Absolutely breathtaking!" she supplied at his loss of words.  
  
"All of the above," came his response. Buffy smiled. He opened the door for her and she got into his car. They went to a little Italian bistro restaurant that wasn't really well known. They ate and talked and neither one really cared that none of the questions concerned Riley's murder. After a delicious dessert of tiramisu, Angel and Buffy walked outside. They looked around for Angel's car and discovered that it was missing. He went inside to call the police, when suddenly a waiter handed him a slip of paper. It read: Angel, Took the car because something urgent came up. Sorry if it's an inconvenience. I'll return it tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Hope everything is going well with your 'client.' See you at work tomorrow, where you will tell me everything. Thanks, Doyle.  
  
Angel walked outside to see Buffy staring at the stars. She took his breath away; she was so beautiful. He walked over to her and explained the situation. She said that she understood and would be happy to walk home instead. So they set off under the moonlight, heading towards 1630 Revello Drive. [A/N: I know that this is Buffy's mom's house in the show, but in this fic it's the Finn house. Joyce and Giles live in Giles' apartment, but it's a little different. Imagine it bigger and with more rooms.] The two were so at ease that neither noticed the dark shadow following them. 


	15. Chapter 14

Moving On  
  
Chapter 14  
  
A/N: My muse has returned in terms of this story too. I was rereading the whole thing, and some of the details sound kinda farfetched. But I hope that this chapter is better. And I hope everyone enjoys it.  
  
Buffy and Angel reached the door of the Finn household, and Buffy cautiously invited him inside. He smiled and nodded, before following her into the house. Neither saw the man step out of the bushes and glare through the windows at the couple. They sat down on the couch together, not knowing what to say to the other. All dinner they had engaged in easy conversation; but now sitting in Buffy's house, where she lived, they were struck by silence. Staring at each other, they both suddenly burst into speech at once.  
  
"Do you want - "  
  
"Can I have - "  
  
They smiled sheepishly at each other.  
  
"Why don't you go first, Angel."  
  
"I just wondered if you would give me a tour of your lovely house. That is, if it isn't too painful for you to show men around." He grinned at the last part to show that he was teasing.  
  
"Sure. Before we start, would you like some coffee? I can start the brewing before the tour so it will be ready after it's over." He nodded his agreement and they headed towards the kitchen.  
  
Outside, the shadow of the man moved around to the kitchen door in order to watch the couple better. After the silence had been broken, they could now talk much more freely with each other. The shadow watched as she laughed while filling up the coffee pot. He slowly opened the back door a creak in order to hear the conversation flowing from within.  
  
"I sure hope that you make better coffee than Cordelia. I mean, she's a great secretary and helper around the office, unless you want a decent cup of coffee. She just can't figure out how to work the machine properly I guess."  
  
"I know. I refuse to let her make it here, and even Xander doesn't let her make it at their own house. If he doesn't make it himself, he'll send her to Starbucks to get them each a cup."  
  
The banter continued back and forth and the shadow quietly closed the door and retreated behind the bushes again. After a short time of watching in the windows, he looked at the watch on his wrist, then turned and walked back to the hotel room he had rented. Because of that, he missed the first kiss between Buffy and Angel.  
  
Now neither person could deny the overwhelming physical attraction they felt for one another. And both had confessed to their respective close friends that they were in love with each other. So it was no surprise that sparks were flying throughout the entire house tour. Subconsciously, the last stop on the tour was Buffy's bedroom. As they stood there looking at the master suite of the house, Angel accidentally brushed hands with Buffy, and that was their undoing. Suddenly, before either could think rationally, they were in each other's arms, kissing as if the world was ending tomorrow. They kissed until they each needed air, tongues dueling for control, lips heating with their passion. Finally, Angel pulled away.  
  
"I, uh, have to go. I have to work tomorrow. And I'm sure you do too. I'll let myself out. I lo – Bye, Buffy."  
  
Angel ran down the stairs and out the door, leaving behind a very confused, and very aroused, Buffy.  
  
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*That was one of the dumbest things you could've done, Angel. Kissing her only a week or so after her husband of five years has been murdered. And then, on top of it, you almost told her you loved her. That would've been a great way to help her solve her husband's murder. Besides, you promised yourself you'd never date another client after what Darla did. But she tasted so good, and she smelled so good too. And she kissed me back, or at least I think she did. Did she? Maybe I'm just imagining things. I better get home.*  
  
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*Way to go Buffy. Scare off the man who's helping you solve your dead husband's murder. How could you forget about Riley so quickly. Falling in love is one thing, but acting on that love only a week or so after discovering your husband's body. Now that's just cruel to his memory. Although he looked so good in a tux. And he smelled so good, a scent I can't even describe. It was like night and moonlight, in a scent. Wow, Buff, getting poetic much. But he tasted just as yummy as he smelled. Oh what's a girl to do? I'll have to decide before tomorrow night. That's the party.* 


End file.
